Fantasy Football Week 8

By the end of Week 7, plenty of teams that looked like sure shots for the playoffs appear to be falling. The Miami Dolphins are back near the bottom of the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals have lost their last two, and the Cleveland Browns lost again thanks to a 59 yard field goal from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ kicker, Chandler Catanzaro.

But more important that all this, who should you start this week?

Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans is a good idea for you Week 8 starting quarterback. He’s got the Thursday night game against the Dolphins who allowed 248 rushing yards last week to the passing-heavy Detroit Lions. Miami also allowed 217 passing yards. Watson, a good running quarterback, also has a killer arm and is on a four-game winning streak. Definitely consider the sophomore QB this week.

Adrian Peterson of the Washington Redskins is a good pick at running back this week because he has the abysmal New York Giants. On Monday night, versus the Atlanta Falcons, the Giants allowed 3.4 yards per rushing attempt; a first down on every set of downs. The Giants have also allowed the tenth most rushing yards in the league. Peterson is also a good pick because we’ve slowly seen Washington QB Alex Smith move away from the passing game in recent weeks, meaning that Peterson will get more touches.

Le’Veon Bell has decided to stay seated during Week 8, so James Connor of the Pittsburgh Steelers, coming off of a bye week last week, is a good pick for RB in Week 8. In Week 6, the last week the Steelers played, Connor rushed for, fifth in the league that week, 111 yards. He shredded the Bengals’ defense then, and now he’s got the mediocre defense of the Cleveland Browns.

JuJu Smith-Schuster of the Steelers should also have a quality Sunday, as the Browns are one of the worst passing defenses in all of football. They’ve allowed the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL at 2,062. Smith-Schuster also acquired 13.1 fantasy points on ESPN and NFL and 16.6 on Yahoo in his last week, Week 6.

John Brown of the Baltimore Ravens is a pretty good pick for Week 8 because he’s been Joe Flacco’s main target. Despite a powerful Carolina Panthers’ defense, Brown will probably get the most touches on his team out of anyone and get you a few fantasy points.

At tight end, George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is a pretty good pick. It apparently makes no difference who plays quarterback for him or how the QB does in total because C.J. Beathard only passed for 170 yards… Kittle caught for 98 yards and one touchdown on five receptions, averaging 19.6 yards per catch. Last week, he played against the strong Los Angeles Rams, anyways, who look like the NFC Champions without a doubt, right now. This week, he’s playing the Arizona Cardinals who have the league who have allowed just under 27 points per game.

For defense, you should go with the Monday Night Game. The New England Patriots are playing the Buffalo Bills who have scored the least points in all of football at 81. The Bills have also thrown the most interceptions at 12. The Bills have thrown more interceptions than the number of points they’ve averaged per game. The Bills have also thrown for the least passing yards in football at 1,092. The Patriots are playing the statistically worst team in the entire league.

Catanzaro is a good pick at kicker. He’s playing the floundering Bengals and clearly doesn’t need to be too close to the end zone. If Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can get the ball within the 40 yard line, Catanzaro should be able to bring it home and lock up five fantasy points for you with each kick.